Alabama 7X16 Conversion

[RandyH]

Hello,
Well I finally accepted delivery on a 7X16 Pace American Journey trailer last Saturday. I ordered it with torsion axles, two windows installed, 2X6 main channel frame. I'm excited about getting started on the build. Here are a few pictures...


I'm looking forward to all of your input on helping me with this...

RandyH

[jwhite]

Great looking trailer, I built mine in 2010 and have changed a lot of things along the way so my advice is no mater how much you plan you may want to change something so plan when building what it will take to change something?
One thing I have had to deal with is the water pump going out and needing changing I now have a back up pump just in case it goes out lucky it is not to hard to change it but it is till a pain to do.
I have found that no matter how tight the lines if it drips at all the pump will bump on and off every few minutes, so I put a toggle switch so at night and when not using it I am not dealing with that.
The other big issue I have learned is with replacing the flouring I started with peal and stick looks great for a year then vinyl flouring ripped putting it in didn't last a day then put in the cheap engineered flooring and finally I bought the more expensive engineered flooring, I had to pay someone to put it in but really looks great.
I hate to think how much I spent on what I had to replace.

[hankaye]

RandyH, Howdy;

Welcome to the madness!

hank

[McDave]

Wow! Nice looking rig, Randy. Looks like you mean business. Good Luck and enjoy the build process. An opportunity to show off your skills and develop some new ones .
Roll Tide!

McDave

[flboy]

Really nice looking trailer! I can't to watch your build progress. Enjoy!

[bc toys]

Nice looking trailer now the fun begins do a layout with tap and more tape but have fun doing it

[RandyH]

yeah, I've been planning this thing for years. Bought tow vehicle with tow package, mirrors, etc. just for this project. Now, I'm retired and have the tire and money to do the work. Look forward to interacting with you guys.

[CoventryKid]

Randy:

Welcome! Really nice looking trailer. I like that it matches your truck.

Have fun with your planning and your build. Don't be afraid to ask - lots of talent and knowledge on this forum!

I look forward to following your adventure!

[RandyH]

ok, I need to do some 12v wiring. Are you guys grounding to the frame and running just a hot wire to a fuse block, or are you running both a hot and ground to the fuse block? I see two different types of fuse blocks, one with a ground post that goes to the battery and one without. Here are two examples..

Without ground wire post: https://www.amazon.com/OLS-PSZACCEPS052H-10-Way-Illuminated-Blade/dp/B00QMULSUI/ref=zg_bs_15729661_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=T43V635Y5GDF9EXE6RPF

With ground wire post: https://www.amazon.com/Seachoice-ATO-Fuse-Block-Gang/dp/B000N9PJ7W/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1482336134&sr=8-5&keywords=fuse+box+boat

Randy

[McDave]

Hey Randy,
I did both. I'm using the WFCO 8955 Power Center. It grounds to frame, both ac and dc. Battery neg direct to frame. Ground from Tow vehicle through 7 pin to frame. Then I ran all 2 wire circuits to lights and fans and fridge etc. and grounded at the fixture to frame if possible. It's not really anymore work to have redundant grounds. And how many times have you heard someone say the failure was caused by a bad ground or loose ground wire?

McDave

[RandyH]

Hey Randy,
I did both. I'm using the WFCO 8955 Power Center. It grounds to frame, both ac and dc. Battery neg direct to frame. Ground from Tow vehicle through 7 pin to frame. Then I ran all 2 wire circuits to lights and fans and fridge etc. and grounded at the fixture to frame if possible. It's not really anymore work to have redundant grounds. And how many times have you heard someone say the failure was caused by a bad ground or loose ground wire?

McDave

McDave, well I had not thought of a power center, let me do some research... thanks.
Randy

[flboy]

ok, I need to do some 12v wiring. Are you guys grounding to the frame and running just a hot wire to a fuse block, or are you running both a hot and ground to the fuse block? I see two different types of fuse blocks, one with a ground post that goes to the battery and one without. Here are two examples..

Without ground wire post: https://www.amazon.com/OLS-PSZACCEPS052H-10-Way-Illuminated-Blade/dp/B00QMULSUI/ref=zg_bs_15729661_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=T43V635Y5GDF9EXE6RPF

With ground wire post: https://www.amazon.com/Seachoice-ATO-Fuse-Block-Gang/dp/B000N9PJ7W/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1482336134&sr=8-5&keywords=fuse+box+boat

Randy

For DC Connections, Battery Grounded to Frame. Using the steel frame as common ground. Run one hot to each DC appliance and ground to frame. Saves 1/2 the wiring and otherwise would not be any better electrically. If you are using a chassis groud, you don't need that ground terminal. If you are home running a ground wire to each circuit, you will need a common ground terminal.

[McDave]

What flboy says is true and valid. However, there are times when the light, fan or other 12v device is not located at or near a chassis ground. It's no more difficult to pull a 2 conductor,(black/wht or red/ blk etc.) to the device location, than to pull a hot, and then a wire to chassis. The real advantage comes when you may have to troubleshoot. You don't have to look for the chassis grnd. Ground and positive are located at the same place at fixture, and same place at origin.
If you are diagnosing a circuit and don't have 12v present, you still wont know if you are missing positive or ground until you get to chassis grnd. If both sides of wire go to same place, you can check them there.
Chassis grounds can also add resistance and therefore cause voltage drop, but that is rarely a problem. The simple mechanics of making a solid chassis ground, ring terminal screwed to a clean spot of chassis, tightly crimped to wire,
then connected to grnd wire at light etc., is really more labor and more connections to fail than to have two connections at each end of wire.
I mostly use telegraph or "Western Union" connections at the light. The wires are wrapped together to provide a mechanical connection, then soldered to provide the electrical connection, then shrink tube to provide insulation and strain relief. Crimped on "butt" connectors can be problematic and scotch locks are almost guaranteed to fail at some point.
Since you will be making these connections, they will have your name on them. Can't really blame "Made in China" for a failure. It's not that much harder to make a good, reliable connection than to make lesser one or two or three. At the end of the day when you close your eyes, you aren't worried about those conections, you made them, you know they are right. But there are lots and lots of others to keep you awake. I'm not sure if Wang Fung cares about his work as much as you do.

McDave

[m.colley]

Welcome Randy.
What part of Alabama are you in? I'm in Columbus Ga, just across the state line from Sin City AKA Phenix City.

On the electrical thing, I used a power center, PD4045 to charge and control my 12V. A ground terminal block made wiring easy. All 12v grounds run to the terminal block, terminal block wired/connected to battery ground/negative post, battery negative/ground wired/connected to trailer frame with #8 ring terminal and bolt.
Yes it takes more wire but as Mc Dave said, much easier to trouble shoot if the need arises.


Martin

[RandyH]

Welcome Randy.
What part of Alabama are you in? I'm in Columbus Ga, just across the state line from Sin City AKA Phenix City.

On the electrical thing, I used a power center, PD4045 to charge and control my 12V. A ground terminal block made wiring easy. All 12v grounds run to the terminal block, terminal block wired/connected to battery ground/negative post, battery negative/ground wired/connected to trailer frame with #8 ring terminal and bolt.
Yes it takes more wire but as Mc Dave said, much easier to trouble shoot if the need arises.


Martin

Hey Martin, I live about 25 miles northwest of Birmingham not far from I-22. Looking at power centers now.